Mary Wigman et al, 1952

International Dance Congress, Montreaux, Switzerland, July-Aug 1952

Virginia’s career as free lance photographer branched out mid-1952 to cover modern dance . She learned of the International Dance Congress being held in Montreaux and asked permission to photograph the dancers and sell the images back to them, as a means to provide some income. She became quite close to the dancers, in particular Mary Wigman and Nel Roos. The Archive holds numerous photographs of the event and the dancers in addition to many personal letters. Virginia wrote to the consulate and the dance magazines, on behalf of Wigman to try to clear her name of communist ties. Below are examples of these attempts.

The following notes by Virginia Fontaine were short observations of the teachers of the International Dance Congress, Montreaux, Switzerland, July-August 1952. For more details see the 1952 Diary starting 28 July 1952